NYK has ordered a next-generation pure car carrier from Shinkai Toyohashi Shipbuilding in Japan, equipped with an AI-enabled autonomous navigation suite and an expanded Marine DX package, reports Port News.
The 199.95-meter vessel, 38 meters abeam, is scheduled for delivery on 31 March 2026 and will operate as a test platform for advanced navigation, safety and operational-efficiency technologies during regular commercial voyages.
The ship will employ an autonomous navigation system developed under the Nippon Foundation’s MEGURI2040 fully autonomous ship program, operating under crew supervision and using AI-based image recognition, radar-target analysis and automated route generation to evaluate surrounding traffic, assess collision and grounding risks, and execute steering commands.
The system is designed to reduce navigator workload and help mitigate human-error incidents, which account for nearly 70 percent of marine accidents.
NYK pushes boundaries with AI-driven ship
Japan Marine Science (JMS), part of the NYK Group, will provide routing intelligence through its Advanced Routing Simulation and Planning software, which continuously predicts the behavior of the NYK vessel and nearby ships to propose the optimal route and speed, while allowing full manual override.
Furuno Electric will supply a collision-avoidance support package integrated with the autonomous navigation suite. Its system combines radar and other sensor inputs to calculate collision risks and, in cooperation with the JMS routing software, create and control avoidance routes. Furuno will also deliver key navigation equipment including radar and ECDIS as part of the broader Marine DX package.
The ship will feature a large-motion mitigation system that uses real-time wave-radar data and vessel-condition inputs to simulate motion and recommend optimal course and speed adjustments, helping reduce rolling and protect vehicle cargo in rough weather.
NYK also plans to install a shipwide Wi-Fi network to ensure reliable connectivity throughout the vessel—including engine rooms, decks and cargo holds—supporting digital manuals, real-time video troubleshooting, remote medical consultations and overcoming signal shadow zones caused by the steel structure.
This order supports Japan’s MEGURI2040 initiative to commercialize autonomous and semi-autonomous coastal shipping in response to safety requirements and crew shortages. By applying MEGURI2040 technologies aboard a working car carrier operating on commercial routes, NYK, JMS and Furuno aim to advance autonomous navigation toward routine use.
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Source: Port News
